A Closer Look - Outside

The BUC 101 seems to be the edgy version of the original BUC, which had mostly round, soft corners. The BUC 101 looks very industrial and a bit futuristic instead.

In Win has chosen to use normal drive bay covers, which are not easily removable from the front of the chassis, as was the case with the ones used on the BUC. In the rear the layout reveals a simple truth: the BUC 101 uses the same body as the BUC case. A large air vent on the main side allows for fresh air to enter the chassis. In Win advertises a magnetic dust filter that fits on this case, but since we got our hands on an early sample, it was not part of the package. The other side is solid with no openings or air vents.

The bottom part of the front is taken by a somewhat elaborate cover for the front fan. It can easily be removed to reveal the cooling unit and its dust filter. This protective layer may be removed and cleaned easily if need be. Above that are two USB 2.0 plugs and the pair of audio connectivity. To the left and right of these are the LED lights for HDD activity and power. Both the reset and power buttons can be found on either edge of the front at this height as well. Above that are the external drive bays.

Turning the BUC 101 around, we have the afore mentioned PSU bay on the bottom. There is nothing out of the ordinary here. Above that are the seven mainboard expansion slots, each protected with covers of the breakout kind: once removed these can no longer be used. The slots feature plastic, neon green locks. While such systems have proven too weak in the past, the version we see here has been designed by In Win. It will be interesting to see how well it fares. Further to the top you will find the rear fan and two openings for water cooling tubes.

While In Win had placed a USB 3.0 plug in the top of the BUC, you will find an actual SATA hot-swap bay on the BUC 101. The middle holds two additional USB connectors, but of the USB 3.0 variety. These are protected from dust and dirt by a rubber cover. In the very rear you have the exact same fan cover as found on the front. It looks like In Win has been following the same design guidelines for the BUC 101 as with the original. Both the top and front panel look very similar in shape.